Lifelong learning

Péter Regős, the chef of XO Bistro in Budapest was a stagiaire for two weeks in Salzburg’s Ikarus, one of Europes’s most famous restaurants. It was an unbelievable experience! I tried to learn as many tricks and ideas as I could, for instance about molecular gastronomy – says Péter Regős. The 27-year old chef believes that someone can only be a good chef if he never stops learning. For instance, he is inspired by photographs of dishes; but it is from great masters that chefs can learn the most. He thinks that the last 3-4 years brought positive changes in the profession and today great chefs are more willing to share their knowledge with young talents. In his opinion Lajos Bíró’s atelier is a perfect example, where a young generation of chefs learned the ins and outs of the profession. He knows that one of the biggest motivations is the joy of creating something, but one has to work hard even as an auxiliary chef, to show the boss that he is devoted. – I spent 3 years in Germany and Ireland and already worked as a chef at the age of 20. At the moment I am not focusing on competitions yet, instead it is positive feedback from guests that motivates me. I try to learn all the time and it would be great to spend a few weeks in as many Michelin star-holding restaurants as possible. But I also worked as a stagiaire at Lajos Takács in the Olimpia.